Olam Agri has stepped into Nigeria's cattle feed market for the first time, extending a business long built on poultry and aqua feed into the ruminant sector. The company presented its Tru Value range, made up of a Beef Pellet, a Beef Plus Pellet and a Dairy Pellet, in Kaduna State on September 11, 2026, according to Rio Times.
A New Line for a Growing Market
The launch was fronted by Sharad Gupta, president and global head of integrated feed and protein at Olam Agri, and comes on top of the company's existing capacity of more than 800,000 tonnes of poultry feed a year and over 150,000 tonnes of aqua feed produced from Ilorin, Kwara State, Rio Times reported. The timing tracks a market on a steep climb, with Nigerian animal feed demand estimated at 15.45 million tonnes in 2025 and projected to reach 18.47 million tonnes by 2035.
Why Feed Is the Pressure Point
Feed is the single biggest cost in commercial poultry and cattle production in Nigeria, which makes the quality and price of what animals eat central to the cost of meat, milk and eggs, according to analysis compiled for the CGIAR. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said quality animal nutrition remains one of the most important factors in achieving better growth rates, improved milk yields and higher returns for farmers, Rio Times noted.
A Sector With Room to Run
The opportunity is large because Nigeria's livestock base is vast but underdeveloped. The country's livestock population was estimated at about 273.8 million animals, including nearly 139 million goats, 64.9 million sheep and 54.8 million cattle, alongside more than 680 million poultry birds, and the sector contributes close to five per cent of GDP, valued at roughly $32 billion, according to THISDAY. Yet Nigeria still imports about 60 per cent of its dairy needs, the same report noted, a gap better feed for dairy cattle is meant to help close.
Cheaper, better feed is one of the surest routes to steadier prices for milk, beef and eggs. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets and follows the supply forces, from feed mills to farm gates, that shape what a protein-rich meal costs.